Chapter 149: The City Collapses [Please Collect]
Under the city of Xuzhou, Chen Ming received a pigeon message from the dark camp. The Anhui Green Camp of Chenzhou Prefecture had already entered Zhoujiakou. It seemed that Chen Huizu, the second-generation official, had no intention of letting Asiha down. There was still some cooperation between the two Qing troops in the east.
The number of Anhui Green Camp soldiers was about the same as that of Henan Green Camp in Xuzhou, but Chen Huizu also had a militia of 2,000 people. Chen Ming didn't care much about the Anhui Green Camp soldiers, but he was very curious about the Huaibei militia brought by Chen Huizu. Because he didn't know if there would be Zhang Luoxing, Gong Deshu, and the ancestors of the leaders of the original time and space Nian Army in this Huaibei militia? You know, the Nian Army all came from Huaibei. There were even ancestors of a group of Huai Army generals such as Liu Mingchuan and Zhang Shusheng. Together with the civilians and strong men who followed the army, the total number of Anhui Qing troops was close to 10,000, with 7,000 combat soldiers. It can be said that it was ten times the strength of the Yancheng defenders.
Chen Hongtao, who was in charge of the defense of Yancheng, had a full battalion plus a logistics team and an artillery team, with a combat power of only 700. However, Yancheng was one of the most important strategic locations of the Chen family army. Since the city was controlled by the Chen family army, ships of cement and iron bars were transported here, and one after another iron-reinforced cement buildings rose from the ground inside and outside Yancheng.
They were not necessarily very high, but they were definitely very solid. Just like the defense system of Linru Town, the 700 combat forces of the Chen family army relied on iron-reinforced cement buildings and crisscrossing trenches and ditches, and they could keep out the 7,000 Anhui troops.
Moreover, relying on the Qing soldiers who traveled back and forth on fast horses, even if the two troops cooperated with each other, the actions of the Anhui Qing soldiers were too slow. They have just reached Zhoujiakou. When will they be able to reach Yancheng from Zhoujiakou and use a powerful offensive to make the Chen family army defenders in Yancheng unable to resist and eagerly ask Chen Ming for help? Three days? Five days? Or ten days?
By that time, Chen Ming would have already taken Xuzhou.
Now the Qing army has no power to stop the activities of the Chen family army under the city of Xuzhou. The whole day of bombardment yesterday has long made the Qing army unable to stand on the city wall. Wen Tu only left a few people on the city wall to monitor, and the main force was placed inside the city wall to wait. This direct follow-up made the Chen family army very eager to dig the roots of Xuzhou City. Within a distance of fifty steps on the left and right wings of the city gate, the Chen family army dug six deep pits. The Qing soldiers who stayed on the city wall had already reported the news to Wen Tu. Wen Tu couldn't think of a solution, so he reported the news to Qin Guangyuan. Qin Guangyuan certainly couldn't think of a solution either.
The Qing soldiers couldn't even gain a foothold on the city wall, so how could they stop the Chen family soldiers who were working hard under the huts built with long ladders and wooden rafts? This is like the artillery attack of the Chen family army. The strength is clearly there, but the Qing soldiers can't resist it or counterattack. Everything was destined yesterday. After the Chen family army defeated the Qing artillery and the floating bridges outside the city were built one by one, the situation in Xuzhou was irreversible.
The strangest thing for Wen Tu now is why Qin Guangyuan didn't think about withdrawing his troops last night? And up to now, he hasn't shown any signs of retreating. Is he really ready to fight to the death with the Chen family bandits in Xuzhou City? It's not that Wen Tu despises Qin Guangyuan's integrity, but he really thinks it's useless and unnecessary. On the contrary, preserving the existing force as much as possible is the greatest duty to the court.
However, the six small houses under the city wall are like time bombs, which make Wen Tu feel uneasy.
This is like a sharp blade hanging over your head. You know it is harmful, but you don't know when it will fall and how much damage it will cause. Wen Tu's heart was shaking constantly, so he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to.
"Boom... Boom..." Suddenly, a series of loud explosions sounded.
Wen Tu jumped up from the ground with a start and ran out of the temple gate. As for whether he stepped on the soldiers who were entangled and rolling together like branches, he didn't care.
Under the bright and sunny sky, the originally broken but still very solid city wall was like a beach castle destroyed by the waves, and it turned into a pile of ruins with a bang. "The mountain collapsed and the rocks cracked..." This was the only thought left in Wen Tu's mind.
A group of soldiers also ran out, and the noisy noise in the City God Temple subsided instantly. Everyone was stunned and stunned by the scene in front of them.
Hesitation, fear, discouragement, and other emotions arose in the hearts of this group of people. "Can this city still be defended?" Countless people asked themselves directly in their hearts. Instead of saying, "Can this city still be defended?"
"Kill..." Outside the city, the deafening shouts of killing came.
"The rebels are attacking the city, the rebels are attacking the city." Countless voices shouted hoarsely, and their masters could no longer control themselves, and only knew to scream in panic. A large group of Qing soldiers, rural militiamen, and even civilians fled eastward along the street from the Great West Gate.
The hesitation and fear in the soldiers of Wen Tu's camp were completely detonated as the city wall collapsed. Faced with the loud shouts of killing outside the city, they did not resist, but fled to the east in a swarm. They no longer had the courage.
"Puff..." Wen Tu's eyes flashed with ferocity. He ordered his personal soldiers to line up in a row, and he rushed forward and swung his sword three times at the deserters who ran over first.
His sword fell, and a few flashes of light appeared. Three heads fell to the ground. The bright red blood spurted out from the necks of the headless people, dyeing his upper body blood red.
"Go back, go back, go back to me. Anyone who dares to incite riots and destabilize the morale of the army will be killed without mercy -" With a crazy killing intent in his red eyes, Wen Tu raised his waist knife and pointed it at the suppressed collapse. the soldiers shouted. "Kill them all back and hold on..."
Wen Tu's reaction was extremely fast, and he used the dozens of soldiers at his disposal to control the situation. He used them as a supervising team and personally led the defeated troops to rush back towards the ruins-like city gate.
With sharp swords and spears pressing behind them, seven or eight hundred soldiers, government officials, and civilians had no choice but to bravely rush to the ruins of the Great West Gate. "Kill..., brothers, follow me..." Chen Jincai rushed forward, with the silver medal hanging on his chest, and a bloody sharp knife mark on his right arm. After receiving the award, it was as if an irresistible will had acted on Chen Jincai, and he became more fearless.
After all, Chen Jincai and the others had a long way to go. When they were halfway up, some Qing soldiers had already climbed to the top of the ruins. Many Qing soldiers picked up materials on the spot and kicked down some city bricks with their legs. The city bricks rolled down the ruins with a loud bang, like a piece of stone, and also carried a few broken pieces.
After dodging two bricks that were thrown at him, Chen Jincai took a few steps forward and rolled up the steel knife in his hand. A "dang" sound blocked the opposing Qing soldier's head strike. At the same time, he made a fist with his left hand and immediately swung it out, hitting the Qing soldier in the abdomen.
The Qing soldier groaned, dropped the knife in his hand, and staggered back, clutching his stomach. Chen Jincai shouted and rushed forward, slashing with his sword...